MANILA – The University of Asia & the Pacific (UA&P) Chorale emerged as the winner in the recently concluded 3rd Bandung Choral Society (BCS) World Virtual Choir Festival.
In its official Facebook page, the Indonesia-based BCS announced that the UA&P Chorale bested five other contenders in the mixed choir category after posting a final score of 91.1 percent.
“We would like to extend our greatest gratitude to everyone who showered us with immense support and great love to our performance,” the Pasig City-based choir said in a Facebook post.
Apart from being the category winner, the UA&P Chorale also received a special award for Outstanding Virtual Artistry.
Four other participants in the mixed category earned a gold medal. They are the United Kingdom’s CÔR CF1 with 85.75 percentage points, Poland’s Gdanks University Choir with 85.3 percentage points, Indonesia’ Chorus Rusticarum with 84.75 percentage points, and Indonesia’s The Unklab Choir with 82.8 percentage points.
Indonesia’s Umvoice bagged the silver medal after getting 78.85 percentage points.
Meanwhile, the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) Maestro Singers from Nueva Ecija, who joined the folklore category, also grabbed the gold medal after earning 83.35 percentage points.
Indonesia’s Fisheries Choir, with a final score of 84.85 percent, was declared winner in the folklore category.
The CLSU Maestro Singers’ music video was also the most viewed entry for the friendship concert.
“Thank you so much for all the support,” it said. “We are happy to share these awards for you, for Central Luzon State University, and for our country.”
In a recent interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), UA&P Chorale music director Anna Abeleda-Piquero encouraged her fellow Filipinos to remain optimistic and continue honing their skills amid the pandemic.
Abeleda-Piquero said there are several ways to “keep the music alive” despite restrictions on public movement due to the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak.
“We are Filipinos. We have been thrown so much challenges, such as earthquakes, floods, storms, and droughts in our lifetime. Yet we always came up alive and kicking. We are known for our ability to survive and adapt and come up smiling amidst troubles. Why would we let such a tiny, microscopic virus stop us from being who we are? It is just a matter of adapting again,” she said. (PNA)